Warriors: The Code: Book 1: Heart: Chapter 3
by thephilosophersjuicebox
Summary: Tendrilstar, Hollypaw's father, does not improve of Hollypaw getting the chance of going on a quest. Conflict rises with Hollypaw's lost eye, for cats call her names.


Chapter 3

_Hollypaw awoke the next morning, _everything feeling like a nightmare. She lifted her paw and felt by her right eye. Cobwebs stuck to her paw, and a strong smelling mixture of daisy and some herbs melted into her fur. It wasn't a dream. Why couldn't it have been a dream? Warmth was reflecting off something next to Hollypaw that made her oddly comforted. Turning around, she noticed Vinepaw breathing gently, curled up in a ball. Licking her fur flat, Hollypaw shook the dry moss off her pelt and padded out of the den. Frecklewish trotted up to meet her. "Let me get a look at that," The medicine cat murmured, peeling off the cobwebs. "I thought that would happen." Frecklewish gave her a haunted look.

"I can still be a warrior though, right?" Hollypaw shot up. Frecklewish nodded. "Good. I want to go ask Mistleg if she can show me how to battle today." Without letting Frecklewish speak a mouse length, she darted off to the warriors' den. Grooming her fur outside of the warriors' den sat Mistleg. As the warrior watched her apprentice come closer, her neck fur ruffled at the sight of Hollypaw. "Hi, Mistleg, can you teach me how to fight today?"

"Yes…" The warrior gulped. "Lets go get Squirrelhop and Shallowpaw." Hollypaw nodded and waited at the edge of the gorge, next to the path.

Shallowpaw's jaw dropped when he saw Hollypaw's appearance. Devastation filled the apprentice's eyes, and Hollypaw did not know why. Squirrelhop gave her apprentice a warning glance. As they continued to head for the training gully, Hollypaw noticed Shallowpaw giving her scared glances. _I'll show him it doesn't matter if I'm looking different. _

"Alright, Hollypaw, you try it next." Mistleg nodded to her apprentice. Shallowpaw launched himself at Hollypaw and she ducked and turned onto her belly in mid-air, scraping his belly with her paws and turning back around, landing on her paws.

"Luck of the draw." Shallowpaw shook the dust off his fur.

"You're just embarrassed a she-cat beat you!" Hollypaw laughed. She knew her injured eye would always stay that way, but that didn't mean she couldn't be the cat she wanted to be. Flicking her tail, the apprentice noticed Vinepaw and Quailfeather trotting down the path to the training gully. Hollypaw hid her face and sat near the corner of the training gully, picking at pieces of moss that lay near the side.

"Hi, Dead Eye." Quailfeather smirked.

"There is no need for that." Mistleg snapped, defending Hollypaw. "Come, Hollypaw. Why don't we go hunting? Shallowpaw and Vinepaw can practice on that move more. You have it done right." Mistleg nodded her head and Hollypaw followed, giving Shallowpaw a lick on the ear and bounding off with Mistleg.

As the two cats padded through to forest above the gorge, Mistleg mewed quietly, "You are sure you don't want to stay in the medicine den? You will not get teased there." Hollypaw shook her head.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Tendrilstar gives me the name Hollyscar."

"Never! You mustn't think that way," Mistleg gasped.

Hollypaw gulped and asked, "You don't happen to know about the Poison Spirit, do you?"

"I've heard about it before…only a cat with the kin of Ripper, the first cat ever to go the Dark Forest. Hh…I just shudder at his name…" The she-cat's whiskers bent out of shape.

Hollypaw sighed. Listening to Mistleg gave her comfort. The only thing on Hollypaw's mind was that she was not Ripper's kin. Relaxing a bit, she opened her jaws to taste the air. A faint scent of squirrel hung in the air. Then the she-cat spotted the squirrel nibbling on a berry on a tree branch. Climbing up the trunk, she lightly stepped onto the branch the squirrel sat on. Leaping and pinning the squirrel, she bit it's neck with a killing bite. She picked up the fresh-kill and set it down at Mistleg's paws, which was carrying a dead rabbit in her jaws. Pride sparkled in her mentor's eyes, then she nodded her head and they padded back to camp.

As they arrived to the gorge, Tendrilstar smiled and purred, "How did training go?" Hollypaw guessed her father was happy she hadn't given up on being a warrior. Setting down her rabbit, Mistleg mewed, "Fine. You should talk to Quailfeather when he comes back." She added in a low tone, "He called Hollypaw Dead Eye." Tendrilstar hissed.

"Quailfeather mustn't call Hollypaw names, a dead eye or not. But he is a younger warrior." Tendrilstar mewed. "I will have a talk with him when he gets back."

Hollypaw licked herself clean, while her brothers guarded her like a bramble thicket did for a kit, sleeping soundly. Something was wrong though. Was it Ripper? Could it be more dogs? She crept out of the den, and above the gorge. Two cat figures moved towards her, but she knew they meant no harm. But by instinct, she screeched and leaped onto the cat to her right. The tom was about to fight back, but one look at her and he recoiled. "You better have a explanation." She growled.

"I could if you got off me!" The tom hissed. Hollypaw leaped backwards and sat down, claws still unsheathed. The she-cat that stood next to him was tall, but not nearly as tall as Hollypaw. Her white pelt was easy to see, and her light blue eyes looked like ice in the moonlight.

"We don't mean to bother," She mewed. "But do you have a Clan?"

"Probably not." The tom snapped. "She smells as if she lives on stone with other rouges."

"I am not a rouge!" Hollypaw protested. "I am Hollypaw, of SkyClan."

The she-cat's mood brightened. "So you do have a clan! My mouse-brained brother here thought you were a rouge because of—er…"

"My eye." Hollypaw murmured.

"How did it happen?" The she-cat gasped.

"It was a dog. If you are just traveling, I suggest you leave right away. If you are coming with me, tell me your names as we head down the gorge. My leader will ask you some questions."

The she-cat's mouth hung open. "Dogs? We never get dogs where we live.

"You live in there?" The top spat. "How could anycat sleep or hunt there?"

"You see," They began heading for the gorge. "You are already on SkyClan territory. Our territory stretches for as long as we want, since we have not other clan to compete against."

"Alright," The she-cat nodded. "Well, I'm Snowleaf, and this is my brother, Pumafang."

"Nice to meet you, Snowleaf, Pumafang." Hollypaw smiled. "And…whatever you do when you talk to Tendrilstar, don't mention my eye. He's my father, and he's been very protective of me since the dog attacked me." Hollypaw knew this was a partial-lie; she just didn't want it brought up. "Tendrilstar?" There was a faint growl, then a, "Come in!"

"Sorry to disturb your sleep, but there are two cats who want to meet you." Hollypaw whispered.

"Send them in," Tendrilstar started licking his untidy pelt. Hollypaw signaled Snowleaf and Pumafang into the den. "Who are they?"

"Snowleaf and Pumafang, Tendrilstar." Hollypaw meowed.

"And why are you here?"

Snowleaf looked at her brother and mewed quietly, "Well, we're looking for the…Poison Spirit." Hollypaw's fur prickled. She felt a cold chill go down her spine. _You know you are… _a whisper came into her ear. "See, I am the Star Spirit, and my brother is the Water Spirit. The Poison Spirit must be in your clan, our clans have disappeared…"

"I…Uh," Hollypaw interrupted. "I think I might be the Poison Spirit."

"What?" Tendrilstar meowed.

"She may be right," Snowleaf commented. "StarClan told me it was a cat who could disappear in the plants. I never saw a cat jump out of the dark like that. StarClan also said their eyes wouldn't show in the darkest corners."

"This is very strange, but I believe these cats." Tendrilstar looked at Hollypaw.

"I was visited by a cat…I can't remember his name, but he convinced me I was." Hollypaw smiled.

"Perfect!" Snowleaf exclaimed. "You can come with us on our quest!"

"No, absolutely, no!" Tendrilstar shot up. "She has only been an apprentice for three days now!"

"I thought she was a warrior!" Pumafang shot a nervous glance at Hollypaw. "She's way too tall!"

"She is pure SkyClan." Tendrilstar growled. "And she is not going on that quest for another three moons. Stay here if you'd like to wait, but if you leave, you can never come back." Snowleaf looked at her brother and agreed, "We will wait."

"Okay, you'll find a nest in the apprentices' den. You are just guests, but you will hunt and fight for us during this time." Tendrilstar flicked his tail, and Hollypaw led the two warriors out of the leader's den. She climbed up the rocks to the apprentices' den easily, but Snowleaf and Pumafang struggled to climb up the rocks.

"You can sleep here next to my brother." Hollypaw flicked her tail, pointing to the abandoned nest next to her snoring brother, Shallowpaw. Her face burned as she leaned on her side.

The next thing Hollypaw saw was one empty nest, and five occupied. Snowleaf was gone. Hollypaw shook off the moss from her pelt and padded out of the den. Snowleaf was sitting on the ledge outside of the den. Wind was blowing through her fur, making the white look like a blur of sunlight.

"Got up early, have you?" Hollypaw purred.

"It was a tradition in AirClan. It feels like home today…but our clan has disappeared, and Pumafang and I are left alone." Snowleaf looked up to the sky. "You have so much exposer to StarClan…that must be so nice…"

"What do you mean?" Hollypaw asked.

"We lived in the mountains, in a cave, and we only saw the stars when we go to gatherings…we hunt bats." Snowleaf commented.

"Eyuck!" Hollypaw spat.

"It's actually pretty good…" Snowleaf mumbled.

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way…" Hollypaw changed the subject. "Why don't you tell me about, well, me, the Poison Spirit."

"StarClan visited me after my clan disappeared, they convinced me that I was the Star Spirit. Then Pumafang got a visit from the Dark Forest—not that that was bad—that convinced him he was the Water Spirit, able to drown anything it came across. And now we found you, the Poison Spirit. I know my spirit name—Infinity—I think I remember Pumafang's, it was…Crash…and yours was, er, it think it was Justice, as in you usually will be able to get your way." Snowleaf explained.

"Justice…that explains why that cat didn't want me to leave." Hollypaw mumbled.

"Hollypaw!" A voice cut in. It was Mistleg. She sat on the ledge diagonally above, where the warriors' den sat. "Come meet me at the bottom at the gorge. We'll practice more battle moves!"

Jumping up quickly, Hollypaw raced down the path to the gorge. "Sorry, Snowleaf! Talk to you later!" The white she-cat nodded, smiling at the apprentice. Hollypaw met Mistleg at the bottom of the gorge.

"Who's that?" Mistleg questioned.

"Never mind," Hollypaw shook her head. "What're you going to teach me?" Purring, Mistleg padded forward, to the top of the gorge. Hollypaw scampered after, right behind her mentor.

"We'll meet up with Bramblepaw and Waspwhisker at the falls. We've got to hurry though, we don't want to be late." Mistleg sped up her pace to a steady gallop. Hollypaw felt a gaze prickling down on her. _Don't forget who's your kin. _Hollypaw shook her head and thought, _No. If I am the Poison Spirit, you will not take my life from me. _Finally, she had noticed that for once that cold chill didn't run down her back since she was a kit. Racing through the trees, Hollypaw looked for Mistleg with her one good eye. The warrior was ahead of her by a couple fox-lengths, but thankfully slowed down when the approached the falls. Hollypaw skid to a stop next to Mistleg and saw Waspwhisker, and Bramblepaw leaping at him from a tree.

"Too noisy." Waspwhisker corrected his apprentice. Bramblepaw looked down, and as Hollypaw guessed, was very disappointed.

"You don't have to be so crude." Mistleg murmured.

"Mind your own apprentice." Waspwhisker snapped. Hollypaw gulped she felt bad for Bramblepaw, and her strict mentor. A soft rustle came from bushes behind the cats. Hollypaw turned around, as well as every other cat. Suddenly, a figure burst out, in the shape of a cat.

Hollypaw saw Bramblepaw's mentor blurt out, "Sol?"


End file.
